


How count Takaki found love

by naminami973



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: AU, M/M, Takaki Yuya loves the sea, a bit of romance, a pinch of humor, nobleman AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22390417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naminami973/pseuds/naminami973
Summary: In order to save his people, Takaki Yuya must make a royal deal with one of the neighbouring counties.
Relationships: Inoo Kei/Takaki Yuya
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Je-united Exchange 2020





	How count Takaki found love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thanku4urlove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanku4urlove/gifts).



> Hi~
> 
> Thank you for the opportunity to write AU again! I hope you enjoy this story, even if it took another turn than I first expected! I'm not very used to writing romance but I gave it a shot and I hope it turned out okay. :3

On a velvet clad throne in the biggest purple castle in the country, sat a young man looking bored. Around him, important people from important places were gathered and engaged in a rather fierce conversation. The young man had long since tuned out, finding it more interesting to count the fringes edges of his bench neighbour's colourful blanket. 

"Takaki-sama, what do you think?", a nobleman whose name he had long forgotten asked. 

The young man looked up, dark eyes meeting the participants of the meeting. Count Takaki Yuya sat at the head of the table, both his throne and position screamed of his heritage. The country was divided in different counties, each represented by a colour and in every county there was a noble family running the area. It was a great honor to be the family chosen by king Kitagawa to run a part of his country, and a responsibility not taken lightly. The Takaki family had been in this position for the past 150 years and were one of the most beloved ones. The purple counts had always done their utter most to take care of their grounds, to keep their people happy and peaceful. This responsibility had now been past down to Yuya, the third son of the Takakis. As the oldest son, he was expected to ascend and take the throne now that his father had retired due to illness and moved to a small island to recover in peace. 

"What do I think… what are the options?", Yuya answered, trying to hide the fact that he had not listened to a single word for the past 10 minutes. 

"We could either take empty the food storage, or we could also take a gamble and wait and see it the crops do survive, but it's doubtful considering the current dry spell. 

"Can't we just water the fields?", another nameless face at the table asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir. The water storages are slowly running out and we have to be careful with the little water we have left. If we use too much, people will soon be affected and if they can't get water, they'll die."

"Then how about-"

"No sir, it wouldn't be beneficial to transport water from the sea. We, or should I say Takaki-sama, has the money to purify the water, yes, but we simply don't have time for such process. And to dump salty, fresh rainwater on our already strained crops would be madness! The crops are too delicate to withstand the salt and minerals in water from the sea. And once the food storage is empty, it's empty. Gentlemen, I'm afraid we're in a very dire situation."

Yuya huffed out a puff of air. It was true that the weather had been quite sunny and warm lately, nothing he really disliked or anything. He quite enjoyed spending lazy days by the beach, tanning his already golden skin in the sun and just feel and listen to the sea breeze. He never would've imagine his beloved sun to be the enemy of his own people. 

"Can't we ask one of the other counties for help? As far as I've heard, the dry spell has only affected the purple area", yet another random man asked. Who were even these people? Yuya should've paid more attention. 

"You can't just waltz in and ask the other counties to step up and help when king Kitagawa specifically divided the country for each region to take care of themselves! Unless…"

Yuya looked over at the young nobleman who had so far been the driving force in the conversation. He cleared his throat.

"Unless what?" 

"Takaki-sama. The other counties won't come to our aid unless a royal deal is struck. One part of the deal is that an equal trade will have to be given."

"Of course," Yuya frowned. "We are the only county along the coastline, leaving us with monopoly on fish trade. If we could struck a deal with another county close to us, we could simply build a road and give them access to the sea and one of our harbours in trade of fresh groundwater water to our people and crops." Yuya was pretty pleased with his own answer, but the knotted forehead on the nobleman still hadn't ceased.

"That's a very good idea, Takaki-sama. We have more than enough to spare a tiny piece of ocean for another country. However, there is also the relationship issue." 

Yuya froze in his throne. "Relationship issue?" 

"Yes. In order to struck a deal with a trade, a relationship also has to be established between two prominent figures in each county involved with the deal. It's another way to establish and make sure the trade won't be abused by any participating party."

"And what does this relationship require?" Yuya asked. 

"I cannot say for sure, Takaki-sama. All I know is that it will require both parties living together and form some sort of bond for at least 10 years, considering the size of the deal."

Yuya sank further down in his throne, deep in thought. This was not what he had imagined. He had never been interested in having a relationship before and he still wasn't. Sure, he could ship off one of his sisters or even his little brother to form a bond with someone from the other counties, but that didn't sit quite right with him. Sure, sharing 10 years of your life with someone else was quite a long time and not something Yuya yearned after, but it couldn't be helped. After all, he was the one who had taken over the purple royal throne and the county was his responsibility. He couldn't let it wither away, and then face king Kitagawa with great shame.

No. This was something Takaki Yuya would have to face himself. 

"Alright. What are we waiting for then? Send after the sons of the noble families in the bordering counties and I shall meet them all and choose who would be the most suitable partner for both me and our county. I will not let our people down!" 

And that's how Takaki Yuya got on a quest to find his partner.

*********

Letters were sent out and it didn't take long until a guest arrived. Yamada Ryosuke stood in front of him, dressed in the red velvet robe with sparkling rhinestones adorning the traditional garment. His sisters were with him, but everyone knew that if an union would take place, it would be with Ryosuke and no other member of the Yamada family. 

In the land ruled by king Kitagawa, homosexuality was the norm. Heterosexual couplings took place mainly in order to reproduce, but it was very uncommon for hetero couples to actually stay together. It was even quite taboo and when hetero couples went official, they were immediately the juiciest gossip around. No living man could ever forget the event of Akanishi-san, the noble man who took off with a woman and left his male lover broken into pieces. Even after several years since the incident, Kamenashi-san was still trying to cope with his broken heart and the shame of having been left like that. The townsmen still pitied him and trash talked him behind his back, more or less, and they probably would do so until a new broken gay couple appeared. Takaki Yuya was not looking to be the new talk of the town.

Ryosuke looks was ethereal and he was widely popular, not only in his county but in the whole country. He was the definition of flawless with his platinum blonde locks and unmarked light skin. Easy on the eye, Yuya supposed. Yuya had never been very attracted to the younger man when they'd met during the annual ball king Kitagawa hosted to celebrate the separation yet union of the country. The two men hadn't really talked much though. Maybe Ryosuke's personality would make him more attractive?

The two noblemen went on seven dates in the span of two weeks. At first, Yuya thought Ryosuke was alright; perhaps there were no sparks, but he could tell the other man put effort into their dates. It only started to go downhill halfway through, when Ryosuke's demanding habits started to show themselves. Yuya came from one of the richest and powerful families but he was taught to never exploit his privileges and always be kind. Ryosuke, however, seemed to have been spoiled up to his teeth and when he demanded that a servant should get fired or even better, beheaded, for not heating his tea up to exactly 80°C (yes, he even brought his own thermometer to the table to check and it clearly said 78°C. Outrageous!), Yuya decided that perhaps Ryosuke wasn't the right partner for him. Even Yuya's beloved chihuahua Chokko seemed to agree, as there were an awful lot of growls and snarls coming out of the small dog whenever Ryosuke were close. 

He didn't dare to think what would've happened if the Yamada family had gotten access to his beloved sea. 

*********

The second nobleman to show up was the youngest member of the Arioka family, Daiki. His family ruled the orange county and while he was a little on the short side, he made up for his height with his big personality. And loudness.

Boy was this kid loud.

Yuya had a lot of fun with Daiki though during their seven dates. Being with Daiki was never a dull moment, and Yuya thought he had never laughed so much or so hard during 20 something years on earth. Daiki was a ball of energy. Endless energy. Which meant Yuya got drained. 

Being with Daiki was like being chained to a comet, just dashing through the starry sky without stopping. When Yuya suggested they could spend one afternoon relaxing on the beach, Daiki had eagerly agreed. During their walk he had been bouncing around and when they finally settled down in the warm sand, Daiki was quiet in almost exactly 40 seconds before he started running his mouth five thousand miles per hour. Another two minutes and Daiki was running around on the beach, chatting with every breathing soul close by while Yuya silently stayed propped up in a sun chair and watch the whole spectacle. Even Chokko was too tired to join in on Daiki's endless running around.

Arioka Daiki was great, but perhaps not as a longtime partner for Yuya. However, he might've found himself a new best friend.

*********

Yuya was starting to lose faith in finding a suitable partner, and for every new suitor there was new things wrong with them. They had nasty smoking habits, they talked with a weird accent, they were simply too small and angry… The list went on, and when Yuya thought of maybe giving Ryosuke another chance (as Daiki had been friend zoned already), a ray of hope appeared.

*********

When the royal blue county presented themselves, Yuya was suddenly floored. He hadn't even expected anyone from the Inoo family to show up as most of them were a bunch of shut ins, but here their youngest son were. He had known Inoo Kei when they were children, but they hadn't seen each other in a few years due to Kei's travels to a neighbouring kingdom. The last time they'd met, Kei had been this awkward boy with a too big head for his skinny body.

The boy, no, man in front of Yuya was nothing like that. 

Kei had grown into his body and his head was no longer a big ball on top of a stick. He was still a bit on the skinny side, but he had still filled out nicely. Healthy bright skin with small beauty spots littering everywhere, and Yuya had an urge to trace them all with his finger. His lips were as puffy as the bags under his eyes, and his front teeth were slightly showing where he stood in front of Yuya with a shy smile on his face.

For the first time ever, Takaki Yuya's heart skipped a beat at the sight of another man.

*********

To say that Yuya were infatuated with the young man from the royal blue county was an understatement. Following protocol, they went on seven dates in the span of two weeks. They went to dinner and found that while not having the exactly same tastes, it was similar and they could enjoy the seafood buffet without any complaints. Kei was a bit shy at first, but the more they talked and got to know each other, the more he started to open up. He wasn't as loud as Daiki, but he liked to laugh and have a good time. He laughed at Yuya's silly jokes and told some bordering scandalous dick jokes himself, which made Yuya crack up. Chokko asked for pets and Kei was never one to turn the small dog down, which just melted Yuya's heart. They went to the beach and while Kei did have to bring SPF 50+ and an parasol, he enjoyed his time there just as much as Yuya did and when the sunset came and Kei expressed a wish of returning to the beach the following day, Yuya couldn't help but to kiss the man. He took the man by surprise, but soon puffy lips pushed back against Yuya's. They separated for a moment and looked into each other's eyes. To Yuya it felt like looking into a mirror and he could see his own soul in the depths of Kei's slightly golden brown eyes. Kei's eyes fell shut and when their lips met again, Yuya didn't hesitate to lick the salty sea away from Kei's lips and slowly deepen the kiss. Behind his eyelids, sparks were flying as his tongue felt like it was licking at a battery.

Takaki Yuya was in love.

*********

On the last day of the two weeks, they went hand in hand on an evening stroll down by the beach. Yuya stopped and pointed at a large harbour in the distance.

"That's the harbour you and your county will get access to once the deal has been struck."

He felt Kei's hand clench his for a second, and then his whole posture turned rigid. Kei nodded slightly but didn't say anything else. 

"I was thinking we could build the road from here and around the hills instead of over? The scenery is too nice to be destroyed with a big road running through it. I get your people will use the road quite frequently; it's been a while since you had fresh seafood in your stores right?"

Again, Kei only nodded slightly and kept quiet. Yuya frowned, not understanding what had happened and in an attempt to cheer his soon to be partner up, he dragged him along the beach. Kei kept his eyes down casted all the time.

They walked until they came to the black cliffs at the end of the shore. Yuya immediately started to climb them but when he was at the highest point he looked down to see Kei sitting in the sand, drawing circles in the sand and looking sad. Yuya jumped down and went to sit next to him.

"Hey, Kei. What's wrong?" 

Kei shrugged and continued to aimlessly draw in the sand. Yuya didn't know what to do, so he just sat there quietly for several minutes and watched the waves hit the shore until Kei's small voice sounded.

"Are you sure about this?"

Yuya looked at Kei. "Sure about what?"

Kei still refused to look at him. "Sure about this. I know the deal is essential for your people's survival, but I'm sure we could work out some other deal so you don't have to be stuck with me for the next ten years."

"... wait, what? Kei, why wouldn't I want to be with you?"

"BECAUSE", Kei exclaimed. "Because you're doing this for your people, just like I do it for my people."

"Of course I do, my people is one of my priorities", Yuya answered. 

Kei shut his eyes and in the corners tears started to force their way out. 

"I'm not sure I want to live a life not being a priority."

Yuya's looked at Kei's face, now trying so hard to keep it together as he continued,

"I don't want to live a life loving without being loved in return." 

Yuya gasped and took Kei's hand. The man kept his eyes closed, trying hard not to cry.

"Oh Kei... the people is one of my priorities but they are not the only one, and not even the biggest. Not anymore. Not since I met you". 

Kei turned his head ever so slightly towards Yuya and opened his eyes just a little. "What?"

Yuya smiled. "Inoo Kei. When I started on this journey my goal was to find a partner so I could save my people. I met a lot of people, went on a lot of dates, and no one seemed good enough. I was about to give up and empty our county's food storage in order to feed my people, because I couldn't find the right partner."

Yuya took both of Kei's hands in his and looked him in his tearfilled eyes. 

"And then you came along. I had never seen such beauty before and for the first time ever, I was attracted to another person just by their looks. By each time we met and I got to know you, when I got to see another bit of the person Inoo Kei… it was like putting together a puzzle. Each piece of you just fitted and while the puzzle might not be a hundred percent done yet, I know the outcome. I know what I'll get. And I love every single piece of it just as I like them together. Inoo Kei, I really do love you, and you would make me the luckiest man if you agreed to spend not only the coming ten years with me, but forever." 

Kei let go of one of Yuya's hands. Yuya was about to panic for a second, thinking Kei would leave him, when he felt a palm against his face.

"You, Takaki Yuya, are a big dumb sap and I'm so, so madly in love with you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Yuya smiled as tears escaped his own eyes and aa both of them sat there looking at each other with crying faces, they couldn't help but laugh. The sunrays kissed their faces as their own lips molded into each other.

Takaki Yuya had not only found a partner to save his county, but the love of his life.


End file.
